Lamentations
by Kuruk
Summary: Love is fickle, love is never fair. Try as she might, Claire can never replace Karen's place in his heart... but sometimes love has something better in store for us.


Hey guys. A oneshot a thought of while writing in my Journalism class. My teacher was gracious enough to give us a free period, so I was able to write this for about... two hours.

A Rick fic... angsty, some romance, and at the end, the thing we all need in life; hope.

Enjoy.

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_**Lamentations **_

She remembered the first time that she met him…

He'd been walking out of the Poultry Farm, breaking his back by carrying too much bags of chicken feed… She'd been frantic; her chicken was sick and she needed medicine to cure it right away.

They'd collided…

The chicken feed came tumbling down and landed on his feet. He let out a yelp of agony just as she fell on to the dusty floor, her blonde hair had fallen all over her face, obscuring her view… but the only thing she was sure that she had seen was a bespectacled face turning crimson…

But even though she'd just caused him great pain, he'd just gotten up and extended his hand to her…

She'd taken it… and those rough, worked hands seemed so soft and warm to her, as if the coarseness wasn't even there…

After she'd apologized many times the chicken farmer had asked what was wrong with her, she's suddenly remembered her chicken; sick and dying back at her farm…

And that was the first time that Rick had saved her.

They'd become fast friends after that…

She would always invite him to her farm to help out and sometimes for no reason at all. He would always accept her offer to come in for a glass of juice or milk, and sometimes she could even convince him to stay for dinner.

She would save him honey from her beehive everyday and give it to him when he finished whatever menial task she had him 'solve' for her. She's always cherish how he looked when she handed the jar of the succulent golden nectar to him; smiling happily.

It was that smile that would always make her forget every trouble she had in the world.

But… things hadn't come easily to her…

She'd remembered the first day that she met her; the brunette that would always hold the key to his heart no matter how much she tried and toiled to make him love her…

She'd been walking to the Supermarket particularly early that morning, hoping to get a loaf of bread to make herself some toast for breakfast when she heard Karen's laugh.

She heard her before she saw her…

Karen and Rick were sitting on the bench next to the Supermarket. They were holding hands, and Rick… Rick didn't have that scrunched up embarrassed look he always had on his face when she would accidentally brushed up against him… Indeed, he looked completely at ease with Karen; like he had put every ounce of trust he could give in her heart.

She'd become distraught, had run back to her farm and cried into her pillow. Why did Karen… why did Karen get to have everything while she had nothing?

The stunning brunette had everything; perfect looks, all the friends she needed, a carefree existence, a beautiful angelic singing voice and most importantly; him.

She didn't know how long she'd stayed in her house, the darkness pushing her deeper and deeper into the pit of the own blinding darkness that waited in her heart… but alls he knew was that she loved him; that the dorky chicken farmer had stolen her heart the first time she's taken his hand…

And then, sometime later, there were frantic, fast knocks on the door… and his voice called out from behind it; sounding so worried and fearful…

Eventually, she'd managed to get herself up from the mess of fabric that had been her bed and had opened the door. The light had been blinding; bordering on agonizing as it poured into the abyss that was her house…

But there he was…

"What happened to you!?" he demanded, face red and wet with perspiration, breath totally lost, "Your animals… your animals are all _starving_! Your animals are starving your crops are _dying!_" then concern had dripped into his face as he finally saw her, "Are you okay?"

Fine, just fine she'd told him, chapped lips making the words sound normal with great effort.

And then she'd looked up, past those spectacles into those eyes of his that she always found herself lost in… and had treasured every second as those eyes came alive with his smile, his lips shaped the curve that made her heart swoon and her troubles dance away lightheartedly.

He smiled.

And just like that all her troubles melted away.

From that day forward she dedicated herself to him. Her farm suffered, her animals became angry and despondent with her… but at the time, she didn't care…

All she could think about was that smile that chased away her troubles… and at times she relished the thought of his lips on hers… and maybe, just maybe, when she was deep into one of her fantasies that whisked her away from real life, she would imagine how it would be like to wake up next to him everyday, having that feeling every second… because he would be there; with her…a blue feather tucked into her drawer that he had given her…

And it was these fantasies that drove her. She would later curse herself for being so stupid and blind, for dedicating herself to a man who in his world he could only be the shadow of the brunette that had been by his side since he had been a child…

And then, summer had come… so hot and humid.

It passed just as fast for her because when she was always somewhere else, it mattered not…

She came to on the day before the Fireworks Festival. She had planned it; planned it out perfectly. She's stroll into the Poultry Farm like she always did, casually talk to him about the weather or Manna's ugly haircut… then she'd ask him to the festival…

And he'd say yes, of course…

But when the moment came, when she trudged into the Poultry Farm with feet made heavy by worry and nervousness, the plan, the plan that she had spent _weeks_ agonizing about… suddenly evaporated.

"What is it?" he asked her, walking past his mother and coming right up to her, "Is everything all right?"

Yes, she'd said, everything was just fine.

"Then what is it?" he'd asked, noticeably annoyed with her, "What is it? Why did you come here, then?"

Just to see how you were, she'd mumbled, cursing herself for not having the strength to ask her to go with her…

And she'd ran out of the Poultry Farm… and of course, he'd followed… ever the friend… the one thing she'd never wanted him to be…

"Tell me what's wrong with you!" he'd demanded, holding her by her shoulders and looking deep into her deep blue eyes; normally, not like he looked at Karen… "You've been acting weird for a long time! Tell me what's wrong!"

She'd told him. Will… you g-go to the F-Fireworks F-Fes-Festival with me…?

His expression had said it all…

She wanted to run before the cursed words she never wanted to hear left his mouth, buts he found that she couldn't; she was glued to where she stood… waiting for those damning words to leave the lips that she had thought about so much…

"I-I…" he'd said, suddenly looking away from her, "I… I asked Karen yesterday," it hit her like a slap in the face, "And… well… Karen and I… we're… engaged…" punch in the stomach, stealing her breath away, "I-I'm s-sorry… I though you knew…"

Sorry, she's whimpered pathetically. She ran.

This time he let her go.

She wasn't thinking when she packed up all her things from the suitcase that still lay under her bed. She still wasn't thinking when she reached into her cabinet and gotten up the meager earnings of the farm.

She definitely wasn't thinking when she used those meager savings to buy a ticket for the ferry…

She needed out. She couldn't be on this island anymore; watch the man she loved marry a woman that wasn't her, grow old and lonely while her belly grew full and his smile grew even wider; prouder…

She had slumped onto the ferry, and for the first time… she cried.

And maybe he'd heard her crying. Maybe that was what made him come on the ship and sit next to her, brow etched in worry.

"Claire," he'd said, looking at her as if she… were worth something, "Claire, where are you going?"

She'd looked up into those dark orbs of his. "I'm leaving…" she told him, hoping that her voice didn't sound as weak and pathetic as it sounded to her.

"Why?" he'd asked her, true concern in his voice.

"I have to," she said simply.

He stayed silent for a while. "Where are you going?" he asked softly.

"I don't… know…" she told him.

He looked her over for a second, then he'd slung a pack over his shoulder. "I don't either…" he said sadly; so unlike him, "But… that's the thing that's so fun about it."

She looked into his eyes, saw the sadness within them that was so like her own… knew that a beautiful cotton candy haired maiden had done it to him. Maybe… maybe?

"Come with me," he whispered, dark orbs looking at into her blue ones in supplication. He extended his arm to her to emphasize what he had asked of her. She just looked at the tanned hand.

Maybe he wasn't the dorky chicken farmer with the soft hands and the smile that chased her troubles away.

Maybe he wasn't the chicken farmer that she wanted with all her heart…

But he was here, now.

"Yes… Kai…" she took his hand, almost jumped in surprise…

Soft hands…

She looked into his eyes, her own eyes widening in shock…

He smiled…

Her troubles may not have been chased away, but suddenly, the empty void Rick had left in her heart was engulfed in a fuzzy, warm feeling the likes of which she had never felt before…

No, it didn't chase her troubles away…

It completed her…

And then, Claire smiled at him.

And the world was good.

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Like? Sad, but hopeful... 

Rick's heart belongs to Karen... and in this oneshot... he chose his best friend... But, I like this story, a lot.

Review, please!


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